Women’s health is threatened in Switzerland

Thanks to radios, early breast cancer screening is relatively simple.Image: KEYSTONE

The financing of breast cancer screening will crumble from 2026. Consequently, At the same time, each woman should soon have access to self -tests for certain viruses. Additionally, Consequently, These measures. Therefore, which want to reduce the number of visits to the gynecologist, may have a significant impact on women’s health.

Anna Wanner, Simon Maurer / ch media

From the age of 50, women should be tested regularly for breast cancer. Similarly, Because they have a women’s health threatened switzerland greater risk of developing the disease: one in eight. For example, For women, this is the most deadly type of cancer.

If it is detected before it takes too much magnitude and spreads, it is easier to treat. For example, Many cantons have thus implemented screening programs. Meanwhile, But these are about to disappearprevent the league against cancer, radiologists and gynecologists. Meanwhile, The new lateoc medical rate, which will come into force in January, endangers “the very existence” of these programs.

Concretely, associations point to a drop of almost 60%. Furthermore, Meanwhile, For radiologists, it would no longer be interesting to participate in screening. Therefore, But patients could also turn away from them.

Screening actions, which allow regular x -rays, are successful, especially because the sickness funds pay all of their costs. In addition, If women’s health threatened switzerland the situation were to change, everyone will no longer be able to pay this exam. However, You can see there a retropedage in terms of female health.

The success of demonstrated screening campaigns – Women's health threatened switzerland

Because these campaigns have already been successful in Basel, Bern, Soline and Eastern Switzerland. Nevertheless, Since Saint-Gall introduced screening in 2010, most tumors have been detected at an early stage. Furthermore, This saves many problems with the patient, who will have to treat less aggressive cancer. The number of breast and chemotherapy ablations also decreases all the way.

According to experts. the success of screening is enough to justify the expenditure: a study has thus been able to demonstrate in the cantons without screening a “disproportionate number of large tumors with metastases in the lymph nodes”. women’s health threatened switzerland Regular control therefore reduces treatment costs and increasing the chances of survival.

But early screening has certain drawbacks. Mammograms also produce false positives and false negatives. This means that a patient receives a diagnosis of illness when she has nothing. Or vice versa.

But there is a large consensus as to the superiority of the advantages over the disadvantages. The Cancer League therefore campaigns to maintain screening accessible for all.

Annual control also on the hot seat

Experts are not only afraid of a decline in the health of women with regard to cancer screening. Currently, the association of gynecologists also discusses the sense of annual gynecological control.

While in the past. practically all gynecologists recommended their patients an annual control and the sickness funds paid for him by complacency, the current practice is often different. Many insurers have become strict and only finance the controls prescribed every three years. Patients must therefore now pay more regular visits to the gynecologist.

Annual control at the gynecologist is on the hot seat.Image: Shutterstock

One of the main arguments in favor of annual controls was the PAP test for screening for the HPV virus. which was carried out by the gynecologist during each annual meeting. Human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause genital warts or even cancers. The Basel Roche pharmaceutical group now wants to put women’s health threatened switzerland a test on the market which could be easily carried out by the women themselves -. which thus removes one of the main arguments in favor of annual control.

Gynecologists working in medical offices fear that annual control can be completely removed. The Zurich Section of Swiss Gynecologists recently demanded. during the Congress of Gynecologists in Basel, that the association withdraws its proposal to reimburse new tests – by arguing that this could lead to the disappearance of specialist advice.

Devastating consequences

Indeed. if women did not use in the future more than self -tests instead of resorting to an entire body examination and advice, this would be devastating for female health. An annual control cannot be replaced by a simple HPV test.

However. women’s health threatened switzerland this argument was not heard at the Basel Congress: a majority considered that medical progress should be favored by the introduction of new tests, instead of taking place on the important argument of annual control visits. The ball is therefore in the camp of the Federal Office for Public Health. which must decide on the introduction and reimbursement of new tests.

The question of what is the most judicious procedure in this regard is also. the subject of strong discussion at the international level. Many countries are betting on screening mammograms. have already authorized HPV self -tests, to the detriment of annual exams, which are still very popular with patients in Switzerland.

On the other hand. the British, the Dutch and the Australians no longer go to the gynecologist regularly, but only in the event of complaints, when the autottes women’s health threatened switzerland are abnormal or when they are summoned for a mammography of screening.

(Translated. adapted by Valentine Zenker)

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